The Return
by Blanky
Summary: Rose-chan meets her old foe again, Slappy the Dummy. She agrees to become his slave at last, thinking there is a way out of all this. Slowly, she finds herself falling for the loathsome ventriloquist doll-surely not...?
1. I'm back!

'Hello? Mr James? Ive come about the cleaning job...'she called out nervously, feeling more uneasy by the second. Oh stop it! she berated herself, youre almost 16 years old, stop being scared! There was no reply.

*Background*  
Things weren't too peachy for Rosechan. She was a lot busier now in the older class at Wacky High, only 1 more year to go before college, with important tests and assignments to do. It was now the holidays and she had finished most of her assignments, but she had another problem: cash. Since more staff had been hired, she had been given only 1 shift at the place she worked, where she had done 4 shifts. Which meant she was low on cash and decided to look for an extra job. She didn't care what kind of job it was, she would be happy with even private tutoring a couple of times a week, and some people she knew paid good money for this, and specially for babysitting for a couple of hours a week. Maybe she would be lucky enough to work for somebody famous even? Or maybe she could offer her services as a performer/ comedian at Wackyland's Comedy Bar, 1 Night a week. But people probably wouldn't pay to see an amateur performer, not to mention her parents wouldn't be happy for her to stay out late. So that idea had been scrapped.

It had been a Sunday afternoon, her parents were enjoying the beautiful weather in the park and Antony was at his piano lesson. She was sitting with a cup of coffee in her room, a pile of papers on the table. She picked up the first one, the Wacky High Gazette from yesterday. She was a member of the editorial team and quite often her pictures appeared. As fun as it was, it didn't earn her any cash. She giggled as she came across the photo of her with Stephanie and Beavis and Butthead-from their time out on Friday night. She no longer hated the boys and they no longer found her uncool. The paper also advertised jobs, but mainly student jobs, nothing eyes happen to fall on an ad that read 'Cleaner Wanted'. Cleaner? she frowned. She knew the choices were limited but she was expecting something a little more exciting. But something urged her to read on, almost as if the ad were calling her, that it was especially there for her. Might as well take it she thought, it doesn't sound as boring as car washer or sandwich courier. The pay was quite good and it was only twice a week. She was also intrigued by the address, it was a quiet hidden place, in the opposite direction of the Cryptkeeper's mansion- a spooky old ramshackle, surrounded by nothing but a forest and Rosechan loved spooky places. It had been posted by a Mr James, maybe he was someone rich? Her curiosity got the better of her so she decided to investigate there and then. She got out her bike and zoomed off.

She usually hated cycling on the weekend as it was full of traffic, but the forest was more peaceful and there were hardly any people in that area. This was because people tended to stay away as they believed it to be haunted. Sometimes curious kids would turn up, but that was all. She reached the place and left her bike outside the gate. The afternoon sunshine filtered through the branches. Feeling a little uneasy she opened the door and crept in.

'Hello?' she called out again. Maybe it would have been better to call first, but then she remembered that oddly there was no contact number. She began to regret ever coming here, especially since she didn't know the man - what if it had been in fact some psycho, who wanted to kidnap and murder her? She carried on, even though her instinct was telling her to get out of there as soon as possible. The house was dark inside, the only light was from outside, which filtered through the windows and cracks in the walls.

'Hello? Mr James?'

'Im in here,' an eerie voice called out at last, making her jump.

'Uh, I've come about the job', she stammered, as she pushed open the door,squinting through the gloom to get a better view. There was no one in the room, only a swivel chair with its back to her. The voice spoke again:

'Come right in, ive been expecting you - the chair suddenly swiveled to face her- ROSECHAN!' The wooden mouth broke into a fit of evil cackles as Rosechan screamed in terror. Slappy the evil dummy was back.


	2. Old habits die hard

'Im back!' he cackled evily.

'NO! i got rid of you, im not scared of you anymore, you cant hurt me!' And with that she ran out of the house, not even stopping for her bicycle but just running blindly through the woods until she reached home, opened the door and rushed inside, bolting the door. She stopped breathless, panting like a dog and leant against the door for scurity. No. No way this was happening all over again. She had gone through all that trouble to get rid of him last time. And now he was back. Back to enslave her.

She decided to have a lie down after her ordeal. She put on some calming yoga music-her new passion, and soon her trembling body and viciously pumping heart began to calm was even about to doze off, when the front door opened. She sat bolt upright in shock and armed herself with her golf club. But it was only her parents and bro back. She decided not to tell them what had happened. She didnt want to worry them - they wouldnt believer her anyway and maybe get her to talk to the school counsellor, and they wouldnt be too happy about her having gone to that place which they disapproved of, for the fact it was deserted and anything could happen to her.

She woke up the next morning refreshed, believing last night to have been nothing more than a nightmare. The sun was shining too, so it promised to be a good day.

But she couldn't have been more wrong. First, she was in for a nasty shock in her writing class.

'Good morning everyone, I trust you all had a pleasant weekend,' Miss Manuela barked.'Now, you will be getting back your assignments you did last week, the story continuations. I have to say that everybody did well except 1 student. Rose, I'm very sorry to say you have failed. Not only was it irrelevant to the theme, but it's the worst you've ever done.'

'What?' Rosechan Exclaimed in surprise. 'That can't be true, I answered the question and spent all week on it!' But it didn't make any difference. She sat glumly staring at the big red F on her paper. What would she tell the parents? She glanced at the paper again, her eyes filling with tears. Then she stared in horror and disbelief. There had to be some mixup. What she was reading was nothing like what she had written, but something out of a gory horror story. This was definitely not her style. Someone was having joke, maybe one of the members of the horror stories club had decided to swap her assignment for a laugh, it was more their style. 'Miss, this isnt...she began, but stopped herself in time. There was no use in trying to explain something even she couldn't comprehend. What a bad start, she thought, shaking her head. But worse was to come.

The sports class had climbing that afternoon. She dreaded it as she was afraid of heights, even though she had done quite well recently. She waited around nervously for her turn so she could be over and done with it. She climbed to the usual spot she usually climbed. But today, something was making her climb even higher, as if she couldn't stop toll she reached the to. She didn't even hear the shouts of praise and encouragement from her classmates and teachers she was concentrating hard; straining every muscle in her body, and she didn't stop till she reached the very top. Nobody have ever reached that high before. She was amazed. How did I do that? She wondered in disbelief. And then, she lost her footing and felt her foot slip. She scrabbled, holding onto the rope for dear life. And then...She woke up after what seemed like ages. Her body was aching all over, in particular her back and leg. She looked around and found herself in the first aid room, her teacher and classmates around her with worried faces.

'Rosechan, are you alright?' her teacher asked.

'You were doing so well, you reached the top, higher than any of us have ever reached, we didn't think you would fall,' said Suzie.

'Your harness was faulty, no wonder it started to tear. Lucky you the saftey mat was just underneath you. You passed out as soon as you reached it, ' Trishy, her other classmate said, patting her hand.

'Climbing will be postponed while we investigate what caused the harness to break,' her teacher said. 'But well done for reaching the top!'

'Yeah!' shouted her classmates in cheer, and they ll picked her up, chanting 'She is a champion'.

Dolly sat in her favourite chair facing the window, holding Mr. Ted. She had had him a long time, since she could remember. She loved just sitting quietly holding him, it was soothing to her. Out of her immense doll collection, he was her most favourite and she felt she could talk to him about anything. She was usually quiet and kept to herself, preferring the company of her dolls than other people. Dolly lived at the Home for Kids. Nobody knew anything about her or what had happened to her parents, only that she had been brought in one day by a mysterious person. None of the other kids spoke to her, in fact they tended to avoid her. Nobody wanted to adopt her either. It was probably the way she looked: long auburn pigtails, a pale porcelain-like face, deep blue eyes, big eyelashes- almost doll like. She was always dressed in a victorian gothic black and white dress and sported a mysterious scar on the side of her neck, around which hung an ancient gold heart shaped locket. People found her to be eerie somewhat. The carers were a little concerned and tried to get her to open up, to no avail.

Rosechan had spent the rest of the afternoon in the first aid room, where she managed to nap for a while. She felt safe there. Her body was still aching, but only a little, in fact she felt she could walk again so she got up and after thanking the first aiders, left to get her books and go home. As she walked outside into the sunny courtyard, she tried to figure out what had been happening that day. Nothing seemed to make sense... Suddenly she noticed her bike standing by the gate. She rushed towards it happily, she was sad to think she had lost it as it was her favourite bike. But her joy was short lived:

'Hello, Slave!'

'EEk!' Rosechan screamed in terror as Slappy suddenly jumped out from behind the bike.

'Ahahahah!' he cackled evilly. 'You were in such a hurry to leave yesterday, you left it behind. So I thought I'd bring it back to its rightful owner!'

'H-h-h-o-w very kind,' Rosechan stammered in disbelief. 'How...?'

'I'm back! And you won't be rid of me this time, Slave, and you will do exactly as I say! Otherwise, I will harm your loved ones. And it won't be little scares like you had today!'

'Those...were your doing?!' she cried, suddenly understanding everything. Slappy had been behind her bad luck that day. She could have died because of him.

'Ok,' she said at last. 'Fine. You got me, master Slappy. I'll do what you want, but don't you dare hurt my family and friends!' At the same time, she thought, maybe I can find a way out of this situation, I'll read books and speak to a necromancer. For now I'd better give him the impression that I will be his slave. 'I have once condition though: You are not coming home with me, you can stay in my school locker. No way I'm keep you at mine!'

'Fine, Slave!' cackled Slappy, happy to have her where he wanted her. She was terrified of him, she'd do exactly as he said.


	3. New talent

Dolly was dreaming about him again. Sloane often appeared in her dreams, usually to comfort her in times of trouble. They were sitting at a table, facing each other  
'Dont give up hope. I know its hard right now, but we will meet again,very soon,' he said softly to her, caressing her face gently.  
'But when?' Said Dolly, her sad deep blue eyes looking into his green eyes. 'I've missed you so much!'  
'Any time now,' he said with a sweet smile. I've missed you too my Dolores...' He took her little hand in his and kissed her gently 'We won't have long to wait.'  
'Dont go!' She begged as he started to fade away.  
'I must go my dearest, but any time now... I love you Dolores...' He said as he faded away, stroking her cheek and giving her a beautiful smile. Dolly turned in her sleep, a sweet smile on her face.

What on earth happened, how did I...? Rosechan thought, staring at her reflection. She was dressed in a beautiful white wedding dress, her hair done up beautifully. Weird, she thought. Am I not a little too young for this? Suddenly her face looked different, more mature maybe, or tired? She got up and opened the door,which lead out into a giant hall, like a church. There were people sitting in the pews. At the very end of the giant hall was a priest holding a book,and facing him a young man in a smart black tuxedo. She didn't stop until she got to him, all the while looking for her parents and bro, who she hoped would be there to witness her big day. As she stood next to him, he said 'There you are Rosechan, I've been waiting for you'- as he turned to face her,'my bride!' The groom had turned into Slappy and Rosechan screamed, almost fainting. As she turned around in horror, she noticed all the people weren't actually people at all but dummies, and they all laughed at her,their wooden mouths clackety-clacking open and shut. She turned and ran trying to get away from it all, catching sight of her hands, which to her horror, had turned wooden. She held them up to her face screaming in terror as little woodworms started to ooze out. Her legs too had turned to wood and she felt she couldn't run. 'NO!' She suddenly woke up, breathing rapidly until she began to clam down a little. She looked at the clock,it read 01:00 am. She had had a weird scary day, and now a scary night too. She wished she had never looked for a new job in the first place, then she would never have met Slappy again. She was feeling the stress, and wished she could tell someone about what was going on. But she couldn't even tell her parents. She didn't want to go back to sleep, afraid of what she might dream next.

In the school locker, Slappy was asleep and dreaming too. He found himself in what seemed like an decrepit attic which was full of old furniture,paintings and toys. He wondered what he was doing there or who had put him there. He was looking around at his surroundings, when something caught his eye in the far corner. He walked over to it and on close inspection saw it was a glass case with a beautiful doll inside. 'Hello, there!' He cried out happily. 'Wait a minute...why do I feel as if I know you?' he wondered, somewhat puzzled. Just who was she? He never found out, because at that moment something woke him from his dreams. The school bell.

The next morning, Rosechan tried her best to get to school without falling asleep on the way. She hadn't had a very restful night. As she walked through the school hall to get to her locker, she noticed 2 girls she had never seen before. They were obviously new and she wanted to go over to them and say hello, and show them round. She loved meeting new people and helping them out. But before she could do either, she heard her name being shouted:

'Rosechan!' It was miss Turner, the deputy head. 'What is the meaning of this?'  
'What is it Miss Turner?' Rosechan replied in surprise.  
'Come here,' the teacher replied, getting angrier. Rosechan followed her to the lockers,where every single one had red paint all over its door. Rosechan was horrified. She unlocked her locker,inside was Slappy, sitting in a pool of red. All her books had been covered in red paint. She just stood and stared for ages  
'Well? What is the meaning of this?' her teacher shouted,getting impatient.  
'Um, I'm wondering that myself too, miss.' And then,a most bizarre thing happened. She found herself confessing against her will.  
'It was me, I did it all' she tried to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop anymore rubbish pouring out. 'I took some red paint and painted the lockers,then put it back in my locker next to my dummy, so that it would look like he had done it instead,hehehe!' she covered her mouth again. 'Please don't be mad at him, it was all my doing!' Miss Turner stared at her as if she were mad.  
'This is hardly a laughing matter missy! Why would you do something like this?'  
'Because I thought the lockers were bit dull and boring, being the same colour all the time, so decided to brighten them up a little.'  
'Alright that's enough!' Barked miss Turner. 'You'd better go to the heads office and explain what you just told me! I doubt he will find it very amusing either.'  
In the heads office, Rosechan gave the exact same explanation. As a result she was commended for her honesty but was given detention for vandalising school property, not to mention, a long lecture on how school property should be respected at all times.

She left the office glumly, Slappy tucked under her arm. Being his Slave was harder than she anticipated, and she couldn't see a way out any time soon. She was about to put him back into her locker, when someone called her again.  
'Hey Rosechan! Time for improv club, are you coming?' It was Ginny, her classmate from the drama club.  
'Hi Ginny! Yes I am, please wait while I put this back...'  
'Hey, he looks funny!' Said Ginny, seeing Slappy.'Bring him to class! He can perform for us.'  
'Uh, I don't think that's such a good idea, and I'm not really a practicing ventriloquist anyway, and...'  
'No excuses! Besides, we will be late.' She grabbed Rosechan by the hand and pulled her along.

When they got to the drama room, all the members were there, and being a small class, there werent many. Rosechan also noticed 2 new members, the girls she had seen that morning but never got a chance to talk to, She smiled at them before sitting down, giving them a little wave. The improv club was an optional activity and had been set up by the students themselves and was dedicated to performances- dance, drama, poetry, comedy, etc. The club put on many performances, especially for the holidays. It was usually on during free class or lunch time. Free class meant that there weren't any lessons, so students could use this time to study, write assignments, do a project, practice music or sport, join a club or even take a doctors appointment. This was also handy if any of the the students/teachers needed to take a morning off. Some authorities disapproved of free class as they claimed it wasnt educational and a waste of time, but because of this Wacky High's students had actually done quite well, and were ahead of even the most famous schools. Which only proved that having free time to express oneself other than studying all the time did the students a lot of good.

'Hello everyone, and welcome to another session of improv class! Before we start, I have a few announcements to make. First, Halloween is coming up, so any ideas as to what we should do in honour would be very welcome indeed. Second, we have 2 new girls, welcome to our club!' Everyone greeted them. 'Now, Rosechan has brought a puppet with her today, maybe you'd like to introduce it?'  
'Uh, he is a ventriloquist Dummy, actually,' said Rosechan, a tad agitated by Ginny's ignorance.  
'Puppet, Dummy, whatever,' Ginny smiled somewhat sarcastically. She was the leader of the group and a bit of a popular girl type.  
'Please go ahead, Rosechan,' smiled Danielle, Ginny's friend.  
'Ok, here goes,' Rosechan got Slappy into position on her lap, put her hand behind his head and began.  
'So, welcome to the improv club, Slappy! We are all about performing, so I'm sure you will like it here,' she said with a shy smile. 'Say hi to the lovely people Slappy.' Slappy turned his head around, raising his eyebrows before his wooden mouth opened.  
'Hello, Ginny! So, you think I'm funny do ya? Well, I think your face is a scream! Hahahahaa!'  
'Hey!' Cried Ginny. 'What you doing Rosechan?'  
'Slappy, that wasnt nice, apologise!'  
Danielle, Ginny's friend giggled at the funny remark.  
'Oh not you too!' Ginny berated her.  
'And you,' he said, turning to Danielle, 'Shouldnt you eat more? Pretty soon, you'd be able to play your ribs like a xylophone!'  
'Stop it Slappy!' Shouted Rosechan. 'I'm sorry guys, its not me!'  
'Hey! I'm not that skinny! Take it back! I've always defended you Rosechan, and this is how you treat me?'  
'Its not my doing!' Cried Rosechan, nearly in tears.  
'And you two can be my slaves!' Slappy turned to the 2 new girls. Oh no, thought Rosechan, not the new girls Slappy, please, they look lovely! Slappy continued with the insults, which had everyone getting angry at Rosechan except the new girls, who didn't seem to mind and thought it was some funny act.  
'I'm so sorry guys, we are leaving. I told you I was no good Ginny! I'm so sorry everyone, it's him, he is cursed! I can't control him!' But she realised that this talk made her sound all the more crazy and only convinced the girls further that it was her doing. The girls were relieved to watch her go.  
'You are crazy! And don't come back!' Yelled Ginny after her. So now she had been kicked out of the club too. Rosechan felt terrible. It was time for lunch, so she went to the cafeteria.

'Who needs that drama club anyway?' Retorted Slappy. 'We will perform solo! Now get me some wood chips slave, I haven't eaten in years!'  
'No way Slappy! Not after the way you just behaved. Besides, I don't know where they are.' She got her lunch, then sat down at an empty table, putting Slappy on the chair next to her. Just then, she saw the 2 girls from her drama class coming towards her. Feeling afraid of what they might say, she bundled Slappy under her jacket and hid behind her history book, to look as if she was busy studying. Too late.  
'Hey, you're the girl with the dummy, aren't you?' Said one of the girls  
'Sadly,yes! I'm so sorry for what happened in class, I didn't mean for him to say those things, especially to you girls. If you want to punch me in the face and berate me, please go ahead. Everybody else hates me already.' She braced herself.  
'Oh no, that's not what we came for!' Said the other girl.  
'We wanted say hi and see your dummy! We thought he was funny!' Said her friend.  
'Uh, you have? You're not mad at me?' Rosechan was surprised.  
'No! We think that's an amazing talent to have, and we kind of have an interest in dolls and dummies,' explained the first girl.'By the way, I'm Niky!'  
'And I'm Sandora!' The second girl introduced herself.  
'I'm Rosechan,' Rosechan held out her hand relieved and let them sit at the table. 'So happy to meet you two, especially with similar tastes to mine! Its hard to find people with the same interests, a lot of my classmates are into anything girls are new right?'  
'Yes!' Said Sandora. 'We moved up here at a similar time.'  
'We are neighbours, living in the same building,' said Niky. 'This is a nice area to live, everyone is so friendly.'  
'So, how long have you been performing ventriloquism?'  
'Um, not long actually,' admitted Rosechan. 'Only a couple of days.'  
'Wow, but you're amazing!' Sandora was astonished.  
'Thanks!'Rosechan blushed. 'But to tell the truth, it's not really ventriloquism, it's not really my doing...'  
'So where is your dummy?' Asked Niky.  
'Um, he's...Rosechan said reluctantly.  
'Hey slave! Get me out of this jacket before I boil! You have no idea how hot it is here! It's easy for you, you're wearign a t-shirt but I'm stuck in this suit I can't get out of, and now your jacket!' The girls gasped as they heard the voice, then looked towards the shaking jacket.  
'How...?!' Niky was astonished.  
'You didn't even move your lips, and you had your hand on the table the whole time, so how did you do that?' Wondered Sandora.  
'Well...' Rosechan began. 'Its a long story, and very hard to explain. You won't believe me, but here goes.' And she told them all about Slappy.  
'Wow, so is he like a living doll?' said Niky in amazement.  
'Yes, as crazy as it sounds'  
'But that's... That's even more amazing than just a ventriloquist dummy!' Said Sandora, excited.  
'Yeah, but he is evil too. No idea who has cursed him, or why. i really wish i knew.' At that moment Slappys muffled voice called out again.  
'Hey slave! I said get me out of here!' Rosechan took the jacket of him and got him out, placing him on the table.  
'Happy now? And don't you dare hurt my friends!'  
'I'm starving! All that work does make a dummy hungry. Get me some woodchips, and I will go easy on your friends!' Slappy said.  
'Ok, fine!' Sighed Rosechan. 'Lets go, shall we? We can go up to the woodwork room, they will have chips there. And there's 10 mins left.' So the 3 girls and Slappy left to go to the woodwork room, where Slappy dived into a pile of woodchips, munching happily. Rosechan sighed and sat down.

School was coming to a close, and Rosechan was on her way to her locker.  
'Hey Rosechan!' Niky and Sandora called out to her.  
'Hey girls! Lovely to see you again. Are you free this afternoon? I thought maybe you would like to come to mine for a bit.'  
'Sure!' Said Niky.  
'Me too! Let me just get my things for tomorrow,' said Sandora as she opened her locker. Rosechan noticed some pages inside, with cartoons on them. They looked amazing, so professional.  
'Sandora, did you draw them? You have an exceptional talent!'  
'Yes I did, and thank you so much!'  
'You must join the drawing club here then, you'll be just what they need,' explained Rosechan.  
'Id like to join too, I love drawing!' Chimed in Niky.  
'Yes, you should Niky, your art is amazing too!' Marvelled Rosechan over her drawings. I wish I could draw. But I'm not bad with a camera, so I'm part of the picture club!' As the girls left the school, Rosechan explained about all the different groups and activities the school had to offer. She felt happy to have met 2 new friends after her ordeals, and relieved to be free of Slappy for the afternoon at least. At hers they had hot choc each with cakes and cookies. Then they spent the afternoon looking at her books, telling each other their life stories and drawing. Rosechan even introduced them to her parents and brother.


	4. Camp

The next day a group of Wacky High kids were all going on a camping trip to Camp Express Yourself for 2 days, a camp for talented kids.

Rosechan and her 2 new friends were going, and so was Alicechan, Rosechan's scrabbly sista, who was going to take part in the music activities. They had all been put into groups, and for some reason was in the same group as her 2 friends, the painting group, even though she wasnt good at it. Her mum had helped her pack her luggage, even though she would only be taking one duffle bag with her clothes, food, art equipment,camera and diary. The bus came at around 7:00, just as Rosechan and her mum had finished packing. Giving her parents and bro a kiss goodbye, she got onto the bus where she located Alicechan. She had been so busy recently with the Slappy horror and Alicechan with her composition, that they didnt get a chance to meet up. They managed to catch up a little, then the bus stopped by each of the other houses and picked up the rest of the kids, including Niky and Sandora. Rosechan introduced her lovely new friends to Alicechan and they had a nice time, chatting on the bus until they got to the camp. It was still October, so it was gloomy out, a cold wind stripping the trees of their leaves and swirling them around people's were altogether 24 students, 12 girls and 12 boys and 4 teachers, including the art teacher, the music teacher, dance coach and miss Winter, the head of the arts department. She was a middle aged stern lady with high standards, so students were sometimes afraid of her. She was very critical, but praised and encouraged students too, so whenever people got praised for their work, they knew it was genuine. She reminded Roschan of Miss Banshee, except that she didn't scream as loudly as her.

'Good morning everybody! I am counsellor Diane, welcome to 'Express Yourself!' We hope you will enjoy your time here! And this is counsellor Boomer.'  
'Uh, hi everyone, it's great to see you all here!' Boomer greeted everyone. The students all greeted them back. He is hot! Thought Rosechan, Getting a crush on , he was a tall, muscular fit type, but nothing like the boys at school-he seemed kind of shy and had a stutter, which Rosechan thought was cute.

'Alright guys, lets all pitch up the tents and then we can unpack,' miss Court the art teacher said. There were 4 tents in total. It took almost 2 hours to set them up.

'Wow, setting up tents sure isn't easy,' groaned Rosechan.

'Yeah, I'm exhausted and just want to sit down for a while!' Sandora agreed. Rosechan would be in a tent together with Sandora, Niky and Alicechan. They would have fun together during the day, go hiking too maybe, eat together and then stay up all night telling each other ghost stories. They opened their luggage then and Rosechan suffered the misfortune of having Slappy jumping out at her, cackling his trademark evil laugh and spinning his green eyes. How did you get in? She wondered. He must have snuck in at some point, perhaps he had hidden himself in the bus' luggage compartment?She had totally forgotten about him and now she sighed to think he had come with her. Could his slave not enjoy a simple camping trip for a couple of days? She would have to keep him hidden away somehow so he wouldn't scare any of the others. She could also get into trouble if the teachers thought she was bringing her toys with her, which weren't allowed. The allowance was/Only one small teddy which wouldn't take up any space was acceptable.

After they had all unpacked, Everybody had a bit of free time before the activities started. Some kids were resting, others were exploring their surroundings. Rosechan and Sandora went to meet the rest of the counsellors and got talking to Boomer. He was older than them and finished with high school. He waa also a boxer, Rosechan imagined he must be quite good and was impressed by how gentle he was,helping Sandora up when she slipped on the wet grass.  
'Thats Boomer, our loveable goofball!' Laughed counsellor Rick. Rosechan marvelled at him, she was fickle that way.

'Isnt he sweet, Sandora?' Rosechan gushed.

'Yes he is, and a gentleman! Hey you don't have a crush on him already,do you?' She grinned playfully at Rosechan, who went bright red and giggled sheepishly. The two girls went to join the others and explore their surroundings. There was a chill in the air and the forest was enveloped in a dim fog, which made it seem all the more eerie. The trees had a creepy feeling about them too. It wasnt the sort of place you wanted to stay out after dark. Rosechan wasnt really a fan of the outdoors, especially in winter when it was too cold to go out unless you wore layers of clothes. She did enjoy being out jn the summer though, when she could go swimming. She couldnt wait for summer to arrive. Starting to feel the chill, everybody went back to the tents. After about an hour, everybody waa separated into their groups. Rosechan's group had to draw their surroundings. The 8 students all sat down pn the grass, some with sketchpads, others with was difficult for Rosechan to draw all the leaves on the trees, but after a whole hour practicing she started to get better. Next, they had to colour. Some used paint, others pencils or crayons. They continued after lunch, until the late afternoon.

At the Home for the Kids, the children were having an art lesson too. This was Dolly's hidden talent. She was usually shy and didn't like talking much, but she was very bold in her art work. She got her easel ready and then tried to think of something that would inspire her. She pictured herself and Sloane together. They were dancing in a field full of veautiful flowers, hm dressed in a black tuxedo, she in a blue gown. He held her close as they danced around together. She felt wonderful in his embrace which she missed so much. He held her close to his heart, breathing in all of her. She could feel his warm embrace as she buried her face in his chest. They both smiled as they held each other, gently moving. 'Sloane...' Dolly sighed. She wished he could be dancing with her in the flesh.

'Ok class, time is up, time for lunch!' Suzanne's voice pulled her out of her dreams. Then She came round to inspect everyone's art. Suzanne was one of the guardians, an the only one who Dolly would speak to. She always listened and tried to help Dolly as much as she could.

'Why Dolly, this is the most beautiful painting you've done yet! Is there a story behind it?'

Dolly's painting depicted 2 lovers, dancing together. The boy's reddish brown hair and beautiful green eyes shone right through the paper.

'Yes there is,' smiled Dolly, 'But it doesn't have an ending yet.'

A few hours later, it was almost time for dinner. The campers had had a tiring but fun day, first setting up the tents, then meeting all the counsellors, doing their activities for nearly the whole of the day and finally they had gone on a hike though the woods, together with the teachers and counsellors. Rosechan and Sandora had been collecting leaves and interesting rocks, which they could use for their art. She had not thought of Slappy the whole day, in fact she almost forgot he was there. Exhausted, the campers sat round the campfire, eating beans, sausages, toast and singing campfire songs.

'Ok everyone, time to sleep,' Miss Winter said.

'But it's only 7:00pm!' One of the boys Mikey protested.

'Yes, but we have an early start tomorrow,' Miss Winter reminder him. Besides, you will all be exhausted.' Everybody got ready for bed, but of course they wouldn't be going to sleep so quickly. They were still excited by their surroundings and couldn't wait to tell ghost stories.

Everyone in Rosechan' s tent played a game where each person had to continue the story.

'Rosechan, it's your turn!' Sandora said.

'What? Oh, sorry guys I wsnt paying attenttion,' Rosechan said, embarrassed. In truth she wasn't feeling well, it was that time of the month again.

'Sorry guys, I'm not feeling too well,' she apologised.

'Whats the matter, can we help?' Offered Niky.

'No that's ok, I just need some fresh air. Don't worry about me, I will be fine. ' Usually when she was in that situation, she would have some time for herself and she would be better.

Putting on her sweater she got out of the tent and walked over near to the lake, where she stood gazing at the stars. It was a cold night and she shivered a little, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm.

'Troubles sleeping, huh?' She turned around.

'Hi Boomer,' she smiled at him, relieved it wasnt a complete stranger or even Slappy.

'Hi Rosechan, shouldn't you be in bed at this time?'

'Yeah, but I'm not feeling too well so wanted to get some fresh air.'

'Can I do anything? I'd hate for you to be unwell.'

'Its enough that you're out here with me,' she said grateful. She shivered just then and he saw. He put his hands around her shoulders, rubbing them gently. That felt good, thought Rosechan, who often suffered from a stiff back and shoulders. Suddenly Boomer stopped, thinking that maybe he shouldn't have done that.

'I'm so sorry Rosechan,' he stuttered a little, flustered. 'I hope I didn't offend ya, I just saw that you're shivering and wanted to warm you up,'

'That's ok Boomer, it was nice. Thanks,' she turned her head to face him, moving in closer. He put his arms around her. Rosechan felt better, warmer and her pains ceased. This is nice, thought Rosechan. He wasnt doing anything wrong, quite the opposite. They had to be careful though, because if anyone caught them, they would both be in trouble especially him, as he could lose his job. They stayed like that until he said,

'I'll take you back, Rosechan, it's getting late.'

'Ok. I feel much better now, thanks to you.' He walked her back to her tent. Before she left she gave him a kiss. He was pleasantly stunned.

When she got inside, everyone was already asleep. She squeezed into her sleeping bag, between Alichechan and Sandora. She'd had a lovely day, not to mention a few nice moments with her crush, so now she was tired. Happiness made her sleepy so she fell asleep straight away. Master Slappy wouldn't be bothering her sleep tonight. Wrong.


	5. Dummy for ever

Slappy's POV

Slappy lay there in the duffle bag, with no space to move. He had had a hard day, getting up early to sneak into the back of the school bus, doing his best not to be caught. Then he had to endure the long journey which was bumpy at times, meaning he couldn't even get out for some air until they has gotten to the camp and his slave had opened the bag. He hated to admit it, but he felt so powerless without her for even a day. And now he had to stay in the damn bag for a whole night. It was alright for her, she was tucked up in a warm sleeping bag in a tent together with her friends. He was all alone and cold. The cheek of it all! He was not going to endure a cold, uncomfortable night stuffed in a duffel bag.

_'No, no! Get away from me!' It was midnight, and Rosechan was running for her life, trying to get away from something. She was dressed in a beautiful black sleeveless gown, a bit like a vampire bride from a horror movie. She heard footsteps behind her, and increased her speed. Her pursuer was wearing wooden platform shoes, which tappety-tapped on the ground as he ran .The footsteps got closer._

_'You can't escape me, Rosechan!' Slappy's voice got louder. He was gaining on her! She had to keep running, even though she was exhausted. She knew she couldn't run forever, and pretty soon she would collapse on the ground. She ran into a cloud of something fluttery. Not something-many things. Moths! Rosechan hated moths. She tried to get out of the mothy cloud, but the moths wouldn't get out of her way. She finally lost her footing, and fell crashing to the ground._

_'Ive got you now, slave!' Slappy had caught her. She felt helpless, unable to move or get up. She passed out._

_When she woke up a while later, she was lying down on a wooden bench in what seemed like Frankenstein s laboratory. The room was dark and there were candles, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows on the wall. She couldn't move her arms or legs, shed been bound to the bench. _

_'Relax, make yourself comfy my beautiful slave,' Slappy said to her, caressing her face. 'Youv've got nothing to be scared of.' Next to him him was a doll in a plastic case. She wore a Victorian dress and had a crack down her neck which resembled a scar. _

_'Anytime now, my bride,' he said as he picked up a book, which was nearly as big as him._

_'Forgive me Slappy,' pleaded Rosechan. She would have to do better than that. 'Please forgive me master Slappy, I will never run away again. I will stay and be your slave forever,' she begged, trying to appease him. But he wasn't listening. Instead Leafed through the book and found the page he was looking for. He began to read._

_'Karru marri odonna loma molonu karrano!'_

_'No, no!'screamed Rosechan.'anything but that!' But it was too late. Slappy had finished uttering the magic words and Rosechan started to suffocate. She tried to scream but no sound came out. All she could do was watch in horror as the lifeless doll slowly changed from cold white to a warm fleshy pink, turning human. At the same time Rosechan felt her body getting hard. She looked down at her legs and feet, which had turned to wood._

_'We are reunited at last, my bride!' Cried Slappy happily. The doll's beautiful deep blue eyes flicked open and Slappy extended his arm to her, pulling her close towards him. Rosechan screamed one final silent scream before she was silenced forever._


	6. Art with a passion

Rose's POV

'Rosechan! Wake up!'

'Are you ok?'

Rosechan woke with a gasp. Her friends were around her, shaking her and trying to wake her up.

'He's got me! Slappy wants to turn me into a doll!' She sobbed then hushed herself so that she wouldn't wake the other campers. There was also a storm out.

'Sh, it's ok, you were having a bad dream, that's all.' Niky gave her a hug trying to calm her down, before she had an asthma attack. Sandora and Alicechan hugged her too.

'But its trying to tell me that Slappy is gonna do something terrible! I'm sorry I woke you guys up!'She cried. 'He seems to be controlling even my dreams. Thanks guys, I feel better now.' She felt so embarrassed at having cried about a nightmare. After she had calmed down, she and the other 2 went back to sleep. Her pillow suddenly felt hard and uncomfortable. But she had no time to think about that, it was still 3 :00 and they would have to get up in a few others.

Comforted by her friends and the soft sound of raindrops, she soon drifted off to sleep again.

It was morning and everyone had to take a shower, which was merely a splash around in the freezing lake, despite their protests and screams. After breakfast everyone went to tidy their tents and resume their activities. They were to draw a still life today, and they could be as creative as they wanted. Rosechan suddenly remembered her pillow had felt funny last night, so she checked underneath it. She shrieked when she came face to face with a grinning Slappy..  
'So I've been sleeping on you the whole night?' She said angrily.

'Hey Rose, he would make a great model for your still life,' Miss Court said, appearing in their tent.

'But..' Rosechan protested.

There was no time, so they all went into the art room this time, as it was raining that day.

'Shes right slave,' Slappy said. 'And you'd better do a good job of it!'

'Yes, master Slappy!' Rosechan retorted sarcastically as she set him down on the table in front of her then got her easel ready. Some of the others were already hard at work. How on earth was she going to do this? Maybe she should have just chosen something simple for her still life, like an apple.

Rosechan made a start. She knew there was no way she'd be able to draw Slappy. She'd just have to practice again and again. Half an hour later she had 50 crumpled pieces of paper on the floor. She sighed as she glanced over at her friends art, they were amazing. She gave herself a few minutes then composed herself and picked up her pencil again. Not only was she to draw Slappy, she also had to think of doing it more creatively than a usual portrait of him, which she had already messed up hundreds of times.

'Lunch time!' Miss Court said, and as all the campers were engrossed in their work, the teachers and counsellors had decided to give them a little treat by preparing them lunch. And they could eat in the art room this time. Rosechan sighed with relief. This was perfect, as this way she didn't have to worry about leaving Slappy by himself and could keep her eye on him the whole time. Alicechan's piano playing could be heard from the music studio. She was amazingly gifted at music. After lunch everyone resumed their tasks. Rosechan noticed that her friends had finished their still life and moved onto other tasks. Sandora and Niky had amazing talents, she was sure their art would be exhibited in many galleries. In fact, it probably already was.

She closed her eyes, trying to think of something that would inspire her. All she could see was that dreadful scene from her nightmare, being bound to the work bench with Slappy reading from the book. She took a deep breath, then put her paintbrush to paper. She thought she just might somehow draw better with paints than pencils. And then, she didn't know what, but something suddenly came over her. She began painting. Not just usual painting, but with passion. It was as if some inexplicable force were painting instead, using her as a medium and she couldn't stop until she had finished. After about half an hour she stopped, surprised at what had just come over her. But that wasnt all. She felt inspired (or was it compelled?) to do another one. She painted boldly again, but taking less time to finish. By the time she was done, she was exhausted. She had a few sips of water. Then it was time for everyone to stop, and Miss Court and Miss Winter came around to check everyone's work.

'Wonderful,'

'Lovely!' They praised everyone's art. Niky and Sandora got the most praise.

'Your art will be in the school exhibition when we get back,' Miss Court decided. Rosechan beamed with pride and admiration for her 2 friends.

'Aaaaargh!' Miss winter's scream shattered the air. A few of the campers jumped, others dropped their brushes in shock.

'This is an abomination!' Shouted Miss winter, disgusted. 'I know we said to express yourself freely. But this is a disgrace!' She pointed a shaking finger at Rosechan's work,as if she were a priest pointing a cross at a demon. Miss Winter was a bit of a religious fanatic and passionately against anything that was Gothic or horror, which she believed to be the devils work. Surprised, Rosechan had a look. The first painting depicted a woman in a black dress, chained to a work bench in something that resembled a dungeon. Opposite her Slappy reading from the book. And next to Slappy a doll in a see-through case. The colours were dark yet bold. The second painting was a portrait of Slappy, in all his evil glory. Rosechan gasped. Had she really painted this? It wasn't her style. Yet it had been painted by her own hands. Niky and Sandora too had turned to look at her paintings.

'Wow!' Exclaimed Sandora.

'This is beautiful, we didn't know you had it in you!' Niky cried in amazement.

'Uuh, neither did I,' admitted Rosechan sheepishly. Miss Court had come over too.

'Very different from what we had in mind, but...' she stopped to look at the paintings again.'Not bad at all!'

'I beg your pardon?' Miss Winter raised an eyebrow.

'I like it! In fact, it should be featured along with the other paintings in our exhibition back at school,' Miss Court declared.

'You can't be serious,Miss Court, this is the most demonic art I've ever seen! This student needs to see the school doctor,' Miss Winter added nastily.

'But isnt that what this camp is all about, expressing yourself freely as much as you can? That is what we should be encouraging these young people to do. You may not like it Miss Winter, and you don't have to. But I think its wonderful and I know many will agree with me.' Miss Court was open minded and a bit of a hippie.

'Yeah!' Cried the other students. Outraged, Miss Winter didn't utter another word and left to inspect the dance troupe and the composers.

Rosechan was ecstatic, not to mention relieved.

'Thanks miss, but I really dont deserve this. Still,' she added, 'thank you so much for giving me this chance. I won't let you down, or any of my fellow artists!' And they all had a group hug.

They had a few more hours before dinner, so they were set a photography task, something Rosechan enjoyed even more as she was much better at it that art and she didn't have to spend long hours to get it right.


	7. Masquerade

Girls' POV

Everyone had had a tiring but fun last day, Alicechan with her music, Rosechan and Niky and Sandora with their art and photography,the dance troupe with their dancing. They had all had as much freedom as they wanted to express themselves and had had a lot of fun. They were going to miss it, but it would be something they would remember for years to come. Particularly Rose-chan, who would be enchanted by what happened next. The campers went out one last time for a hike to admire their surroundings. Maybe she could come back again, as a counsellor next time, thought Rosechan. That would be a lovely summer job.

The girls were sitting at one of the wooden tables outside having a snack and hot chocolate, when Trishy, one of the dance geniuses, came with an announcement:

'Hey everyone! Farewell dance after dinner in the community centre tonight!' Everyone was excited, it had been a while since they had been to a dance, least of all at camp. The last time Rosechan had been was at the Halloween Hop at school, when uncle Stretch had helped her collecting tickets and had then flown her out on a date, as she called it.

After dinner, they were getting themselves ready in the dancers' changing rooms. Rosechan was excited as she sprayed her hair with water and combed it through. Too bad she hadn't brought any dance clothes with her, only her old blue jeans and red Wacky High t-shirt. Nothing what stop her having fun tonight though, not even Slappy. Slappy...she shuddered when she realised that she wouldn't be free of him even for one night as she would have to keep an eye on him. Which meant either staying in or taking him with her to the dance. Too bad, she really wanted to go. The other campers would be shooting weirdified stares at her, but she was ready to sacrifice her dignity to have her fun. There were 20 minutes left, so she went back to the tent to talk with Alicechan for a while.

'Come on Rosechan, lets go!' Sandora appeared at the tent entrance. Checking herself once more and grabbing Slappy, she followed Sandora out.

Slappy's POV

Once they got to the dance hall, Rosechan set Slappy down on one of the tables and went to get drinks for her friends. Niky and Sandora stayed to watch Slappy, who stared at them with those mesmerising green eyes. Excellent, thought Slappy, more pretty girls to enslave!

'Here you go,' Rosechan said, just then, snapping them out of their daze and startling Slappy too.'Hey!' She suddenly noticed her friends expressions, pulling them out of his way, then picked up Slappy, who looked normal again.

'Be careful when you are around him, I don't want him doing this to you too,' she warned her friends. The music started just then and Rosechan led Sandora and Niky to the dance floor. Everyone moved around to some 80s grooves, Rosechan having a good time but glancing at Slappy ever so often.

After a while Rosechan and her friends sat down to have a rest and finish their cherry sodas. Two guys came and asked the girls to dance.

'Go ahead girls, I think I will have a little rest. That time of the month still,' she gestured to herself. Rosechan sat next to Slappy watching everyone else having fun. She was happy about her friends and didn't even mind that she was with Slappy. Suddenly he turned his head to her,his mouth clicking open.

'May I have this dance, Slave?' He asked.

'I guess so, there's nothing else to do but dance,' sighed Rosechan as she picked him up and held him close as they danced slowly with the rest. Everyone was staring at the strange girl, dancing with her dummy. To many, she seemed like a crazy girl obsessed with her dolls, even as far as bringing one to a dance.

Rosechan tried not to let it bother her.

Rosechan's POV

_She closed her eyes forcing herself to block the gawkers out of view and enjoy herself. She had become so engrossed in dancing, she hadn't noticed her surroundings had changed. She was no longer in a community centre but in a glamorous dance hall, with magnificent chandeliers casting beautiful rays of light and crystal mirrors on the walls. She looked at herself and saw she was no longer wearing her jeans and t shirt, but a beautiful blue ball gown and a Venetian mask covering her eyes. It was a masquerade ball. She was dancing with Slappy who actually looked glamorous in his black suit and was now her height. Or was it in fact she who had shrunk? Strange, she thought, I never knew Slappy could dance. _

_Everybody else was dressed in a similar fashion and enjoying the masquerade ball, their identities hidden by masks. Niky and Sandora were there too, in beautiful sparkling ball gowns and masks. Everyone was now dancing around the couple. She let each of her 2 friends dance with Slappy, first Sandora then Niky. Even Boomer was there together with the rest of the counsellors and teachers, and he took Rosechan's hand gallantly in a dance. She smiled as she danced with her crush, holding onto him tight and gazing into his eyes. Then it was just her and Slappy dancing again..._

She was so caught up in the moment she didn't feel Sandora tap her on the arm.

'Rosechan,'

'Huh?' She said suddenly.

'The party is over, we have to go back now,' Niky reminded her.

'What?' She snapped back to reality with a start. 'Oh my goodness, how long have I been like this?' She asked embarrassed.

'For the past 10 minutes,' Sandora said, both girls giggling. They were the last few remaining, so they left the centre and made their way back together through the pitch black. When they got back to the tent, Alicechan was already asleep. She hadn't taken part in the dance as she had to work on a written assignment. In addition, discos weren't really her thing.

The girls got ready and quietly got into their sleeping bags, Rosechan laying Slappy down next to her and covering him with her jacket. Then after some whispered ghost stories, the girls went to sleep, for their last night of camp.

Dolly was in bed, next to her. She was wearing a white nightdress, the only other thing she wore besides her victorian dress. Everyone else in the room was already asleep. She got out a box and took something out of it, holding it for Mr Ted to see: a dried up rose, it's petals completely flat, making it seem as if it were made out of thin paper. Dolly had had it since she could remember, but it had been preserved so well all this time it hadn't decayed or crumbled.

'Look mr. Ted,' she whispered to the bear. 'This was the rose Sloane gave me, and its stayed with me all this time. That's a sign that we will be reunited together soon.' She held the rose against her cheek then put it under her pillow. Pulling Mr Ted towards her, she got under the covers and pretty soon was asleep along with everyone else.


	8. Trouble Ahead

Rose's POV

'AAAAAARRRRGH!'

Miss Winters yell shattered the campers morning, who were happily having breakfast. That lady sure could scream, thought Sandora. Niky wondered whether she wasn't related to miss Banshee after all. Everyone had been summoned to the spot where Miss Winter had screamed.

On the school bus window, scrawled in red paint were the words: ABOMINATION! DISGRACE!

'Who did this?' Miss Winter shouted.

'It was you wasn't it?' She pointed an accusing finger at Rosechan.

'No miss, I would never do a thing like that!'

'Don't lie to me, young lady! It had to be you! Those were the exact same words I used about your art.'

'Yes miss, but why would I write them?'

'Simple: revenge. You couldn't accept my criticism, so you thought you would get me back.'

'It wasn't me!' protested Rosechan.

'Well, we are going to have to search your tent,' Miss Winter replied. Everyone went to Rosechan's tent. She showed them inside her bag and clothes.

'That doesnt prove anything, missy. You could have gotten...What's that?!' cried miss Winter, noticing Slappy near the entrance. She came closer and noticed the red paint on Slappy's hands and shoes.

'So!You thought you could smear paint all over your dummy so that it would look like his doing. Well, you dont fool me!' Miss winter shouted in Rosechan's face.

'Since one of you has decided to act so immaturely, we are going back to school this instant, and you will all go back to class.' Groans of disappointment filled the air.

'Silence! Not another word!' screamed Miss Winter. 'And because of this,the art department will forfeit any further camping trips for a year, maybe two.'

'What?!' cried Trishy.

'Thats not fair! This has nothing to do with us,' a dance student complained.

'You can protest all you like. I want everybody to get ready and be on the bus in half an hour.' Rosechan was suddenly very unpopular.

'This is all your fault!'

'Thanks a lot, Rose,' someone else said.

'I'm so sorry guys,' was all Rosechan could say. The only people not to turn against her were Alicechan, Niky and Sandora.

'Poor Rosechan!' said Alicechan, sadly.

'I'm so sorry guys, because of me you too have to forfeit,' said Rosechan, nearly in tears.

'It's ok Rosechan, we know it wasnt you,' Sandora said assuringly. Niky nodded. They went back to their tent to get their stuff ready.

'Rose?' She turned to see Miss Court standing next to her. 'I know miss Winter was too harsh on your work, and I didn't agree with her at all, but don't you think this is too much? She is the head of arts and how well you do depends on her.'

'I'm so sorry miss, I don't know what came over me.' There was no use trying to explain that it was Slappy. She didn't want Miss Court thinking she was crazy too. Only Niky and Sandora knew the truth, and that was enough for her.

'I guess that means my art will now be excluded from the gallery,' she said sadly.

'No, your art will stay, it has nothing to do with what happened. But you should really think hard about what you've done, and maybe write an apology to miss winter?'

'Yes, I will do that.'

'And never do something like this again.' Then she called everyone onto the bus.

Girls' POV

All was quiet on the trip back. Rosechan sat silent and red-faced. She had another reason to feel bad- she had been unable to say goodbye to Boomer, who had been at training that morning. She was sad to think she would never see him again. She dozed off when:

'Hey Slave,' whispered Slappy from behind her head rest. 'Im starving here, get me some woodchips!'

'Huh? No way! I don't have any and we cant stop now.' But she spoke to soon, because suddenly the driver said:

'Hey everybody, it seems we have a breakdown and will have to stop at the nearest gas station.' They reached the gas station, surrounded by a huge forest in the middle of nowhere.

'Ok everyone, we will make a short break, so anybody who needs to buy something or use the bathroom, please do so now,' Miss Court advised. 'Be back in 10 mins.' Some got off, while others stayed in their seats reading, calling their parents, having a snack or sleeping.

Rosechan and her friends were about to get off too when Slappy said 'Ok Slave, now is your chance to get me some woodchips.'

'I said no, Slappy! We havent much time and we need to use the bathroom!' Rosechan shouted.

'Silence!' Yelled Slappy getting angry.'You 4 will listen to me now!' he faced all four girls and they suddenly started to feel strange. 'Yes, master Slappy,' they all said in unison.

'Thats better!' grinned Slappy, satisfied. 'Now, follow me!' Then making sure there was nobody around, he quietly led the girls off the bus. The girls did not protest, but followed quietly. They followed him deeper and deeper into the dark forest, when Slappy stopped them and said:

'Now you, Rosechan, get me some woodchips! You, Niky, go with her! The others stay here with me where I can keep and eye on you, and dont even think about escaping!'

'Yes master Slappy,' Rosechan and Niky replied. They walked off, in search of woodchips, leaving Slappy and the other 2. They walked and walked, looking for woodchips, but were unable to find any. It was quiet in the forest, the only sound coming from the birds tweeting and the rustling leaves.

'How about this?' Niky said, finding a large piece of bark.

'That won't do,' Rosechan frowned. 'He will complain about it being too big. You know how fussy he is.' They were surrounded by tall trees, only a tiny bit of light from the outside world shining through their branches. There were no woodchips to be seen. The girls continued, when suddenly both of them tripped. Niky fell on top of Rosechan.

'Sorry Rosechan,' Niky said.

'Thats ok Niky,' Rosechan replied underneath her. Niky got up and Rosechan rubbed her eyes.

'Hey, whats going on? Niky? Where are we?'

'What are we doing in the forest? And why have we got this?' Niky wondered.

'Hey Slaves!' Slappy's voice rang out across the forest. Slappy...Rosechan groaned. This had to be his doing. They suddenly remembered they were on the bus back home from camp and they had stopped on the way. The two girls tried to find their way back.

'Oh man, I think we're lost!' groaned Rosechan. It started to get dark and rain-clouds filled the once clear sky.

'Hey Slaves! What do you mean by leaving me?' The girls turned to see Slappy with Sandora and Alicechan, still in a trance.

'Eek!' shrieked the girls.

'You should be grateful I found you two!' Slappy said, rolling his green eyes. Now, you were out searching for my meal, were you not?' Rosechan understood why they were carrying the bark.

'Sure Slappy, here,' Rosechan threw the bark at Slappy.

'What, are you crazy? I cant eat this!' Slappy complained.

'Why not?' Its the same thing as woodchips really,' Rosechan shrugged.

'Anyway, it was the best we could do, there are no woodchips,' Niky explained.

'Then you're just going to have to turn this into woodchips, won't you?'

'What? You're kidding arent you?'

'Wait, I've got a penknife,' Sandora said just then. She started cutting down the bark into smaller pieces. Slappy frowned, but even he knew it would have to do.

'Niky, I have an idea how to get them out of their trance,' Rosechan whispered. Niky understood, then both of them went up behind Sandora and Alicechan and gave them a hard push, so they fell on their fronts.

'Whoa!' cried both girls. 'What just happened?' they were out of the trance.

'Sorry guys, it was for your own good,' Rosechan said.

'Hey, he is busy eating, now is our chance to go back,' Niky whispered and they all followed her quietly. She looked at her watch- 3 hours had passed! The bus would have already left.

Unfortunately, try as they might, they couldn't find their way out. Alicechan had a little pocket torch.

'Oh no, this is a dead end!' cried Rosechan.

'Hey Slaves! How dare you escape and leave me stranded in the forest?' Slappy jumped out at her just then, the light of the torch making his wooden face all the more eerie.

'Please master Slappy, we have to go back! Its late and the bus has left already!' cried Sandora.

'Hahaha! That was my plan all along. To get you away from the bus and everyone else and have you all to myself, hahaha!' He laughed evilly.

'Slappy, this isnt the time for jokes! We dont want to get into trouble again,' Rosechan cried in desperation.

'We are not staying here all night!' Niky protested.

'Oh yes you are, and you'd better do as I say! I know my way around and if I so decide, you will never leave this place!' Slappy explained.

'Ok Slappy, what are you going to do to us, now you have us at your mercy?' Alicechan sighed.  
'This!' He grabbed Sandora by the shoulders and a toxic green gas oozed out in her face.

'No!' cried Rosechan and jumped in front of Sandora, grabbing Slappy. She was about to knock him to the ground when she felt the ground under her feet give way.

'Aaargh!' all of them, including Slappy screamed as they fell down something that felt like a ravine. They landed in a heap on top of each other, with Rosechan landing on Slappy.

'Get off me! You're squashing me, Slave!' Slappy's shouts could be heard, muffled by Rosechan's chest.

'Everyone ok?' Rosechan asked, unable to get up.

'I cant get up,' came Niky's muffled voice, who was on Sandora's back and underneath Alicechan. Alicechan got off and helped Niky. Then Sandora got off Rosechan. They realised they were in a pit, which wasnt too deep. They could probably get out climbing the sides.

'Hey, whats that?' said Alicechan, looking up. Somebody was above the pit, shining a torch in their faces. Who could possibly know where to find them, this forest was huge.

'Aaaaargh!' screamed the girls as they tried to shield their eyes from the light.


	9. Sweet Salvation

Boomer's POV

'Are you OK girls?'

'Boomer!' cried Rosechan happily.

'Thank goodness! We got lost in the woods,' Sandora explained.

'Now we are stuck here in this pit!' said Niky.

'Hold on, ill get you out.' He put the torch down on the ground then pulled out a rope from his bag. He tied it around himself then reached out the end to Alicechan, who tied it round herself and climbed out. Then Niky, Sandora and finally Rosechan. He was incredibly strong. It was great to be out of the pit.

'Oh Boomer, you found us!' Rosechan threw her arms around him happily. 'I never thought I would see you again. '

'Im so glad I found you, I got worried,' Boomer replied, embracing her tightly. The others looked on happily, thinking how romantic they were embracing passionately in the rain. Just like a movie love scene.

'My truck's here, I'll take you girls back,' Boomer offered. They were just about to leave when Rosechan suddenly remembered something.

'Excuse me a moment everyone, there is one thing I have to do,' and she rushed back to the pit again, lying down on her front and reaching her arm in.

'No, Rosechan!' everyone cried and rushed to stop her. Boomer grabbed her hand and pulled her up, afraid she might slide into the pit again.

'Sorry guys, I just had to get him. I know he is evil, but he is my responsibility after all.' They quickly got into Boomer s car.

'How did you find us Boomer?' Asked Alicechan.

'I was in the middle of training, when I received a call from counsellor Diane. She told me there was trouble, that four girls were missing. I left right away to go find you. I was told where the bus was last, so once I got to the gas station I realised the one place you could be was the forest. Luckily, I know my way around these parts pretty well.'

'Wow, you saved us, just in time!' Said Sandora happily.

'Sorry to put you through so much trouble and make you leave earlier,' said Rosechan sheepishly.

'No trouble at all, id do anything to help you girls,' he smiled at her. 'Now, is there anyone hungry? I brought some snacks.'

'Yeah! Thanks Boomer,' said the girls, who hadn't eaten for hours and were hungry.

They were also cold and wet, and were happy to be inside the warm car and on their way back to the others. Boomer handed them the snacks then started up the truck. They reached the bus in 20 minutes, and were just about to get out when Rosechan said,

'You go along girls, I'll be there in a minute.' The other girls went over to the bus and got on. Miss Court was there waiting, a worried look on her face.

'I never thought I'd see you again Rosechan,' said Boomer emotionally.

'Me neither, ' replied Rosechan just as emotionally. She looked straight into his deep brown eyes, getting lost in them.

'I'm gonna miss you Rosechan,' he said softly.

'And I'll miss you too, Boomer,' said Rosechan. 'I wish I didn't have to go, ' she said regretfully.

'I wish you didn't have to either,but you'd better before you get into trouble,' replied Boomer.

'I couldnt get into any more trouble than I am in already, even if I tried,' grinned Rosechan sheepishly. Suddenly Boomer tipped her chin up towards him and kissed her gently on the lips.

It was such a sweet kiss, Rosechan felt stirrings in her very core. She kissed him back as he held her in his arms. Just before she left he put something into her hand.

'Look at it when you get home,' he advised. She smiled and went back to the bus as quickly as she could, with him watching her. Luckily none of the teachers or fellow campers had seen them.

Rose's POV

She and the other 3 were then given a stern talking to back on the bus, how irresponsible and immature they had been to do something so dangerous as to leave without telling anyone, worrying the teachers who were responsible for their safety on the trip and holding up the whole bus. All 4 girls were grounded. Rosechan's punishment was harsher-she was banned from any social activities at school, including the Picture Club and school paper. Niky, Sandora and Alicechan looked gloomy on the way back home.

'I'm so sorry, guys,' Rosechan whispered to them. They smiled back at her, as a sign that they understood and were not mad. As the bus pulled out, she saw Boomer's truck leaving too. Goodbye, my dearest Boomer, she said sadly through the window, blowing a kiss. It seemed like ages when Rosechan woke up, she didnt even remember falling asleep. She was exhausted after everything she had been through.

'Rosechan, I have to get off here, see you in school tomorrow!' Alicechan said, tapping her on the arm.

'Ok Alicechan, see you tomorrow, sleep well!' smiled Rosechan, giving her a hug. She looked around. Most people had already gotten off, it was just her, Niky, Sandora and a couple of boys left. Her 2 friends had had a nap too, it seemed. Pretty soon it was her stop.'See you tomorrow girls!' she hugged both Niky and Sandora. 'Sleep well!'

'Good night Rosechan, see you tomorrow!' they replied. Miss Court escorted her to her flat.

'See you in school tomorrow Rosechan, I hope you will feel better,' said Miss Court as the door opened. Rosechan was so exhausted she collapsed into her parents' arms. She didnt even notice Miss Court come inside.

At that moment, something shuffled about in the luggage compartment of the bus. Slappy woke up from under a pile of jackets and luggage, coughing. The air that had been knocked out of him had come back. He remembered everything that had happened, in particular his slave squashing him flat in the fall. His eyebrows were raised and his wooden lips curled up into a devious smile.


	10. New beginnings

Rosechan's POV

The next morning, Rosechan got up feeling somewhat refreshed after her long night and trip back. It had stopped raining too and the sun was shining, a beautiful October morning. Her parents were waiting for her at the table, wanting to speak to her. Miss Court had spoken to them last night about what had happened, the writing on the bus and getting lost in the forest. She had also told them about the wonderful art works Rosechan had done. Her parents gave her a strict lecture, she was very sorry she had disappointed them and promised to do the chores and come back straight home from school everyday. They grounded her and said she wasn't to take part in any after school activities for a month, and there was to be no socialising with friends either. So the party she had organised with Niky and Sandora went out the window. She wasnt to even take the school bus, she would be driven to school.

'Hi girls!' called Rosechan to Niky and Sandora when she reached the school gates.

'Hi Rosechan!' they called out. 'Did you manage to get some sleep after the journey?'

'Yes thanks. But this morning I had a lecture from my parents, Miss Court told them everything last night. And now I'm grounded for a while, which means we cant have that party we talked about. And I'm banned from any social activities here, so I cant work on the school paper for a month.'

'Oh poor Rosechan!' said Niky sympathetically. 'Our parents have grounded us too.'

'Yeah, no parties for us either. But don't worry, we will definitely organise something soon,once the curfew is over,' said Sandora cheerfully.

They were just about to walk into the school when somebody suddenly appeared in Rosechan's way. She looked up to see Joe, the bus driver, looking down at her with an unamused expression.

'Morning Joe,' Rosechan said uneasily. 'I'm so sorry about all the trouble I caused you.' His expression stayed the same; he obviously wasn't in a forgiving mood.

'I have something that belongs to you,' he said, 'You left it behind last night.' He was holding Slappy in his right hand, whom he pushed into Rosechan's arms and left.

'I did, didnt I?' said Rosechan, staring at Slappy somewhat dazed.

'Hey everybody, here comes crazy doll girl with her doll boyfriend!' mocked Ginny as soon as she saw them enter. Ever since that session with Slappy at the drama club, she had it in for Rosechan. Soon the hall was filled with guffawing, mocking voices.

'Hes not a...' Rosechan began, but Sandora stopped her.

'No Rosechan, just ignore her words. Don't give her the satisfaction.'

Rosechan calmed down and trying to ignore the stupid remark, walked past Ginny together with Niky and Sandora.

She was in for a shock when she got to her locker. The words 'WEIRDO' and 'DOLL GIRL' had been scrawled across the door in black ink. People pointed and laughed at her, as she turned crimson with shame.

'And here I was about to ask you on a date, but you're too weird,' the popular boy in the school said as she went past.

'Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'd rather be weird than like you!' retorted Rosechan, suddenly finding her confidence. As she put Slappy into her locker, she noticed a quiet, blond girl by one of the other lockers: it was Karcia from class 7B, who she also had a history class with. She was a pretty girl with blond hair and blue eyes, usually dressed in a black skirt, purple t-shirt and black jacket. She was holding a little plush figure of Dick Dastardly, one of Rosechans cartoon heroes. Karcia turned to look at her Rosechan, wondering what had happened to her locker.

'Nice dummy,' she said.

'Thanks!' Smiled Rosechan.

At lunch time Rosechan went down to the pier to share her fish and chips with the dolphins. They lived at the Wackyland Aquarium, which opened out into the sea so the dolphins had all the freedom they wanted. Rosechan came here often, with her family and friends but mostly when she was sad or needed to relax. The dolphins made her feel calm and happy.

She sat down to think about her predicament. She was grounded, both by the school and her parents. She was also the unpopular girl at school, one who still played with dolls and took them everywhere with her. A total weirdo. She thought about camp, and realised it wasnt all that bad, she had managed to do 2 art works which her teacher liked, though how she had done them was a mystery to her; she had had fun with her friends at the dance which had turned into a fantasy, and she had also had a crush on her counsellor, who had rescued her and her friends and kissed her before she left. She felt something in her pocket. Of course, the note from Boomer! She pulled out a note with his number on, and a polaroid snapshot of him. She was so happy. She only regretted not having taken any together with him.

On a bench further down, Karcia was sitting, having lunch and drawing.

'May I sit down?' Rosechan asked. Karcia nodded. Both girls sat in silence first, admiring the view. Then Rosechan glanced at the drawing.

'Wow, thats really good Karcia,' she marvelled.

'Thanks!' Smiled Karcia.

'And the Dick Dastardly plushie, did you make him yourself? Love him!'

'Yes I did, he is my darling! ' beamed Karcia. Rosechan smiled too.

'Want to see my darling?' Rosechan showed her the photo of Boomer. 'I met him at camp, and he kissed me!

'Aww how sweet!' Karcia smiled at Rosechans happiness.

When they got back to school, she was shocked to see Sandora and Niky by her locker.

'Hey, what's going on? Not you too guys!' She sighed, thinking even they had turned against her.

'Ah there you are Rosechan,' said Niky as they turned around. Taped to the door were two snapshots: her together with Boomer.

'We wanted to surprise you,' said Sandora shyly.

'Oh guys, thank you so much! But how, when did you...?

'We took them while you were embracing, it was such a sweet sight,' grinned Niky.

'After all, we know how much you love Boomer!' Said Sandora, winking.

'Thanks guys, love you so much!' Rosechan hugged them. She felt blessed to have such good friends.

She put everything back into her locker and was about to leave when the popular girl in her class, Dujy appeared. She was more annoying than Ginny and very picky about the people she befriended. Her parents owned a string of clubs and posh restaurants, so she was very snobby and spoilt, always partying out at expensive clubs. She looked down on anyone who was different from her, both in style and opinions.

'Oh, how ugly!'cried Dujy in disgust, catching sight of Slappy. Suddenly Rosechan lost it.

'Shut it Dujy, why do you always have to put down anything that doesn't measure up to your standards?' Rosechan stopped, shocked at what she had just said. Did she just defend an evil dummy? Had she finally cracked? No, Dujy was always doing this about everything and Rosechan had had enough. Cheers and applause filled the air, it was high time somebody put the snobbish girl in her place. Dujy stared for a while, unable to respond, then left in a huff.

Walking through the empty courtyard at the end of school trying to figure out what had happened at lunch, Rosechan noticed some kids laughing and kicking something. As she got closer she saw it was Slappy. One of them then got out some matches.

'STOP! What do you think youre doing? You shouldn't be playing with matches! And leave him alone!' she yelled, rushing over and grabbing him from them.

'Hey what's your problem? We are only having a bit of fun,' retorted the one with the matches.

'Back off! You shouldnt be playing with things you know nothing about! (She didnt want to say, 'With cursed dolls' as it would only encourage them further.) 'And you really ought to show respect for other people's property.' She knew a little about these kids, they were always getting into trouble. Once they were breaking some roses and were threatened by her teacher Peter with a shovel.

'He is yours is he?' One of the boys mocked.

'Youre like, older than us and you still play with dolls? What a loser!' They ran off, laughing at her.

Reeling from her angry outburst, Rosechan hugged the dummy close to her chest, like a child hugging onto their favourite toy.

'There there, youre safe now.' She suddenly jumped in shock when she realised what she was doing. Slappy opened his eyes.

'Hey Slave, you saved me! Just like when you pulled me out of the pit. Seems you cant be without ol' Slappy!'

'Shut up!' said Rosechan, agitated. 'I just did what I would do for anyone. And I only got you out of the pit because I dont want anyone else finding you...' She stopped when she realised Slappy was grinning at her smugly, as it to say,I told you so, you can't be without me, you don't want anyone else to have me!

'Anyway, I don't know much about you myself or even what just happened, she said to herself. Now be a good dummy and go back into the locker. I have to go back home', she retorted, carrying him to the locker.

'It seems you are like no slave I've ever had before,' Slappy said just then. 'Stick with me Rosechan, and you will go far!'

What was he on about? She really wished she could understand this mysterious turn of events. She was hoping she hadn't completely lost her mind. Reaching her locker, she changed her mind. Maybe I should take him back home where I can keep an eye on him. I don't want to leave him here and end up being expelled next time.

Arriving home, Rosechan went up to her bedroom to leave her bag and hid Slappy under her bed. Her parents werent back yet and her brother was at his piano lesson, so she set about tidying the house and even cooked their evening meal: spaghetti with tomato sauce. Hey, at least its a start, she said to herself. She still felt tired so she decided to have an early night at 6:00pm.

Lying in bed she tried to make sense of what had happened. She had defended Slappy, then saved him from the boys who were about to burn him. She who was so terrified of Slappy, happy to have seen the last of the terrifying dummy. She who was planning to smash him to pieces, or at the very least find a necromancer who could silence him.

The last thing on her mind was being kind to the dummy who had enslaved her, and tried to enslave her friends in the woods. Why didn't she leave him in the pit? Had she really cracked? Or was it, as the dummy said, that she couldn't bear the thought of him getting destroyed? All those questions soon made her fall asleep, she didn't even hear when her parents came back, nor her mum calling her. Her mum found her asleep and kissed her on the forehead, covering her up. Rosechan had forgotten to do so.

Slappy's POV

Under the bed, Slappy couldn't understand what was happening either. This slave had saved his life. Nobody had done that before, they had all tried to get rid of him. Even she had done so last was wrong with her? But more importantly, what was wrong with him, why was he thinking about her so much, and why was he starting to feel so... strange?


End file.
